Summer Rain
by Zane-Ice-Fairy
Summary: In a summer rainstorm, two very unlikely people meet and help each other in very unusual ways for a very important cause.


**Hi! So, I love SE, and Tsubaki is one of my FAVE characters ever, so I decided to write this oneshot about her! Yes, there are implied pairings, but NOT TsubakixCrona! Clearing that up right now. So, I hope you like it! BTW, I am very sorry if anyone finds any characters kind of OOC in this, its 12:00 at night right now! **

She loved the rain.

It was her favorite kind of weather. When she was a child and it had started raining, she would run out to the stone garden and stand under the sakura tree, and let the raindrops stain her face. She would watch the rain trace out patterns on the large stones that were washed away by more rivulets of rain, and she'd watch as the many small rivers that the rain created rushed down the small incline in the garden to the lake at the bottom that held the koi fish, and the blossoms of the sakura tree and the camellia bushes in the late spring.

Now, walking the streets of Death City was her way to feel the rain-on the rare occasions the dry state of Nevada was graced with it. Today was one of those days. It was a light rain, but a cleansing one. The dust that always built up on buildings that were near a desert was washed away, and the dried-out streets steamed when the rain touched it. The mist drifted lightly and thinly through the air, adding to the sweet coolness of the atmosphere, and the clouds above rumbled with distant thunder. Tsubaki knew, however, that this wasn't a thunderstorm-it was simply a light summer rain, one that was peaceful and calm. Her favorite kind.

She hadn't had a chance to walk in the rain for ages, she reflected. It came rarely to a state like Nevada, and the few times it had come, she'd been busy-with Black*Star on missions, with schoolwork, and other things that just took up time and energy. Today, though, she had been free, and when the rain had started, she had been that little girl again, running out to the sakura tree to let the rain fall on her face. She had been outside for a while now, but she felt an unusual reluctance to return to her and Black*Star's apartment. The rain was so calming and invigorating at the same time, and it had been so long since she'd really gotten to relax and think without being interrupted by something. The Kishen battle had been a little under two months ago, and relaxation had been a foreign word before then. After that, things had of course calmed down, but Tsubaki had still felt rushed-helping rebuild the city was an important responsibility, and it had been the main priority since the battle. Today was the first time she had felt relaxed and truly calm since-well, the DWMA anniversary celebration. It was nice to feel _normal_ again…well, as normal as was possible in a place like Death City.

She turned the street corner, and entered one of the squares in the city that held statues or fountains or the like in the middle. This one had her favorite fountain, the one with a mysterious beautiful woman pouring water out of a pitcher into the basin below. The bottom was littered with coins, because it was said that if you tossed a coin into it and whispered the name of the woman, you'd get your heart's true desire. You had to say the woman's true name though, and on the first try, or it wouldn't work. Tsubaki had never done it herself, but she'd always meant to. One of those things you always say you'll do, but never get around to doing. Today, though, Tsubaki's eye was drawn away from the woman, and to the hunched figure sitting on the fountain's edge. She stopped at the entrance to the square, surprised. She had seen other people out of course, but that wasn't the surprising part. The person sitting on the edge of the fountain was Crona.

"Crona?" Tsubaki called. Crona started, and turned quickly to look at the person who had called his name.

"T-tsubaki-chan?" he called weakly. Tsubaki smiled and walked forward, giving Crona a small wave.

"What are you doing out here in the rain?" she asked gently, sitting on the rim of the fountain next to the young sword-miester. Crona bit his lip and stared up at Tsubaki through his fringe of pink hair.

"I…I like the rain. It feels nice on my f-face." He curled back a little; as if afraid she would strike out at him for voicing an opinion. Tsubaki smiled at Crona's statement and looked up at the sky.

"I love the rain too. It's my absolute favorite kind of weather. I'd run in it as a child, and get soaking wet. My mother bemoaned my silk kimonos when that happened." A giggle escaped her lips as she remembered her mother shaking her head as she tried to repair her outfit over a small fire. She looked down at Crona, however, when he made a noise. He had sat up and was staring at her in wonder.

"You…you like the rain too?" he whispered. Tsubaki nodded, pleased that she was making Crona come out of his shell.

"Yes, I love it. Why do you love it?" she asked, genuinely curious. Crona looked down at the water and the ripples from the rain that distorted its surface. It took him a few moments to speak.

"I'd…I'd be put outside if it rained, and L-lady M-m-medusa was mad at me." he whispered, not looking at Tsubaki. "When the rain would come pouring down, I'd be put outside as punishment. She thought I h-h-hat-ted it…b-but it was my special place. I loved it. When the rain deluged over me, and I was soaking…I felt like I was being cleansed by the world." His voice had faded to a whisper, but Tsubaki could hear it clearly. She felt tears pricking at her eyes. Crona had gone through so much, so much he didn't deserve. She felt so bad for him.

"I was so frightened that she would find out and hurt me-that she wouldn't put me in the rain anymore. But I guess because I always acted so afraid about the rain, she thought it hurt me, like the black room. So I never got punished for that." He looked back up at her, his pink hair covered in glistening raindrops. "Please don't tell anyone about that. I…I want it to remain a secret. For j-just us. OK?" Tsubaki, blinking away her need to cry, nodded and smiled sweetly at Crona.

"I promise I won't tell a soul." She whispered. Crona smiled a little, and the dark cloud that had gathered over the two dissipated.

"So Crona, have you ever tried the fountain's game?" Tsubaki asked. She figured he had never heard of it, so she'd explain it to him. But, to her surprise, Crona shook his head and said, "I wanted to take a while to think of the lady's name. To get it right, you know? I…I want to be sure to get it right." Tsubaki looked at the face of the mysterious lady. She herself had tried to think of the lady's name on several occasions, but nothing had ever seemed right. The names had never matched her eyes. Tsubaki couldn't explain it, but she knew that when she thought of the right name, it would match in a way that just felt right.

"Yes, I do understand. I've tried to do the same thing a few times." She responded, still staring at the lady. "Have you decided on a name yet?" Crona shook his head and sighed.

"No, but I think I might be close." Tsubaki turned to look at Crona again.

"Crona…what's your heart's true desire?" Crona blushed and looked down at the ground.

"I…I can't say. I-it's…weird. You'd th-think I was a-a-a weirdo or s-something-" Tsubaki smiled and gently placed her hand on Crona's, cutting him off.

"Crona, don't think like that. I'm sure that you're just nervous about telling me, and that's OK. You don't have to tell me if you're not ready." Crona bit his lip, and shook his head lightly. Suddenly, his shoulders tensed, and a second later, Ragnarok burst out of his back and formed above his head.

"Oh come on, ya pussy! Just tell her! The ninja chick is probably the only one who'll keep her mouth shut, other than the shinigami brat and pigtails! And pigtails IS the whole-"Crona's fist cut off Ragnarok's rant, and for a moment, stunned silence reigned supreme. Tsubaki was stunned Crona had hit Ragnarok, and he was probably in much the same condition. Then, all hell broke loose.

"YOU LITTLE BITCH! YA THINK YOU CAN PUNCH ME AND NOT GET AWAY WITH IT? YOU AREN'T EATING FOR A MONTH! NO, TWO MONTHS! I'LL KILL YA, I WILL I SWEAR IT-"

"Ragnarok! Stop it!" Tsubaki cried, trying to pry Crona's head free from the black blood demon's fists. Crona was sobbing and yelling something about 'not dealing with it'. Seeing no way out by force, Tsubaki tried manipulation.

"Ragnarok! Stop now and I'll give you candy and…rebasashi! (1) Your favorite!" For a moment, all stopped, and Ragnarok looked at her suspiciously.

"Really?"

"Promise."

"DEAL!" he yelled, and let Crona go. His hair was mussed up, and his face had two red welt marks on it from where Ragnarok had been gripping him.

"I better get that rebasashi quick, or I might start up again!" Ragnarok growled, at which Crona trembled and buried his face in his knees. Ragnarok vanished into Crona's back, and quiet settled on the scene once more.

Tsubaki leaned forward and reached out for Crona's trembling shoulder.

"Uh, Crona? Are you alright?" she asked warily. Slowly, Crona looked up at her, lower lip clenched between his teeth.

"Uh, y-yeah, I think." Tsubaki breathed a sigh of relief as Crona sat up (though he was still pretty pale). Looking at him again, Tsubaki began to put two and two together. When Ragnarok had started to say something about Maka…and Crona thought he was weird because of his heart's desire…Tsubaki felt a smile light up her face. Crona and Maka…it made perfect sense.

"Crona? Your heart's desire…is it…?" Crona looked at Tsubaki, and a brilliant blush crept across his face. Tsubaki reached out again for the young miester and patted him on the shoulder.

"I think it's just right." Crona's eyes widened, and the blush swept across all of his features-along with a real, strong smile that lit up his indigo eyes.

"You really think so?" he asked in a whisper. Tsubaki nodded.

"I know so." Crona bit his lip, but a laugh slipped out of him and rang through the square, just beckoning Tsubaki's voice to join it.

So she did.

"I…I just feel so free." Crona said, standing up with Tsubaki. "I'm so glad I finally let someone know…and now, I'm gonna tell the most important person there is know." Tsubaki, before she could stop herself, flung her arms around Crona into a hug. She expected the boy to pull away from fear and shock, but he hugged her right back without hesitation.

Breaking apart, the two faced each other once again. The rain, unbeknownst to them, had stopped, and now the sun was weakly breaking through the clouds, creating patches of sunlight against the stone. Tsubaki smiled happily at Crona.

"Good luck, Crona. I know you and Maka will be happy together." Crona grinned, and reached into a pocket in is outfit.

"I'm just so happy that I'm free." He pulled a coin out of the pocket, and held it loosely in his hand. He bounced on his feet a bit, looking up at the sky. "Free, free, free…" Suddenly, he stopped and stared at Tsubaki, shock etched into is features. "Free…dom…" he muttered.

"Crona?" Tsubaki asked. The boy looked her in the eye, and smiled peacefully.

"Freedom. That's the answer, Tsubaki. Freedom. Jiyu. It's what you need to attain your heart's true desire. That's…" Tsubaki's eyes widened as she understood Crona. The boy reached forward, grasped Tsubaki's hand, and put his coin into it. He stepped back.

"Thanks to you, I've got the freedom to attain my heart's true desire. This is my gift to you. Use it to achieve yours. I hope you get it." Crona smile slightly at Tsubaki, and Tsubaki smiled back.

"I'm so happy for you, Crona. Go, find Maka. She was at home with soul earlier, she probably still is." Crona nodded, and turned.

"Thanks again. You helped me to find the courage to do it. You and the rain." Smiling, Crona waved, and then took off for the exit to Maka's street, on the opposite side of the square from where Tsubaki had entered. She gave him one last wave before he turned the corner, and vanished.

Tsubaki turned to the fountain, the water still now, and looked at the coin in her hand. She thought of her heart. She thought of a boy-a tall, thin, pale boy with raven-black hair with three white stripes on one half of it. She unknowingly blushed, and gripped the coin tightly in her hand. She opened her mouth, and one whispered word, so faint it could barely be heard, slipped out from it.

"Jiyu."(2)

A coin splashed into water, and, for a moment, the eyes in the mysterious statue of a lady flashed a brilliant green. For just a moment.

Tsubaki turned on her heels, and began the walk back to her apartment, knowing Black*Star would be waiting there for her. She smiled, eager to see him.

She had always loved the rain…and the rain was done now, and she loved other things even more than the rain.

The clouds broke over Death City, and sunlight flooded the world.

**Yay! It's done! It only took me two and a half hours to finish this! I hope u enjoyed. Please review so I don't feel like a failure in everything about my life and doubt my writing ability! (lol, I already do that) Now, for the explanations!**

**Raw(ish) cow liver- I thought from Ragnarok's POV, which basically led me to 'meat is for men! Soup and vegetables are for pussies!' not my personal opinion, but I'm pretty sure its raggy's (;**

**Japanese word for freedom-being free to reveal your true self and desires? No? OK. *go cries in a corner***

**So, if anyone wants to know how Tsubaki's "heart's desire" things turns out (if anyone actually reads this) let me know, and I might make another chapter to cover that! So, thank you for reading, you are a wonderful person! (;**

**~Zane-Ice-Fairy**


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